


Hunter's Luck

by SageMasterofSass



Series: You call it Luck, but I call it Fate [2]
Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Ging is a terrible father, Killua and Gon fight a lot, M/M, also in love, bluh, but they're best friends, tagging is hard
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-11-17
Updated: 2014-03-12
Packaged: 2018-01-01 21:28:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1048766
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SageMasterofSass/pseuds/SageMasterofSass
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gon and Killua have managed to escape their prison island but the road ahead is not an easy one. Their obstacles? Disabilities, fear, miscommunication and one family of Zoldycks.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Fuck Island Vacations. Seriously.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello! So, for those new readers I'd like to go ahead and let you know that this is a sequel to another fic. It's not necessary to read Assassin's Luck before this one but I'd suggest it simply so you'd understand everything.
> 
> To the readers who have been waiting; welcome back! I'm super excited for this fic. 
> 
> Anyways, I hope you enjoy this first edition of Hunter's Luck and ill try to have chapter two out in a timely manner.

Something wasn't right.

It was like falling asleep during the day and waking to find the sun had already gone down, a sense of disorientation settling not just over his mind but over his body too. Or putting something in one place only to find it somewhere completely different later on, walking into a situation to realize he'd been there before, hearing someone say something that went against everything they were and knowing they meant it. There was no way to really prove anything was amiss and yet...it was wrong. Just wrong.

Something wasn't right.

He felt it in his bones, in his very core and if there was one thing Gon would forever trust it would be his own instincts.

There was something wrong even with the way he blinked open his eyes. They were heavy and uncomfortable and dry, like he hadn't opened them for days. Bright lights blurred everything in his vision, blocked it all out so he couldn't see so he shut his eyes, counted to ten and tried again. This time the lights narrowed, became strips along the ceiling above his head. He watched them, wiggled his toes, his fingers, grasped at the sheets he found beneath his palms.

Wrong.

He found the bandages on his forearms next, traced them with his fingertips. The wounds beneath them throbbed and it was with great clarity that he recalled how he got them. The beach and Killua, Illumi, whispered words and blank faces. Fingers cutting down the lengths of his forearms.

The wound just under his right clavicle was bandaged as well. He remembered that one with even greater clarity; a pale limb piercing straight through him, the blue of Killua's eyes as he fell. That one had been so much worse. At least with his arms he'd been face to face with the assassin, could see clearly in his features that Killua wasn't truly with him. The other blow had come from behind, unseen and only vaguely prepared for. It was so much worse knowing there was a possibility, however small, that Killua had been conscience for that part of the fight. That he could have given him the wound on purpose.

Wrong.

He went to trail his hands down, stopped on the muscles of his abdomen and changed course, lifted them up to rest on his neck. There was gauze there, too, but this wound was phantom to him. He could remember its deliverance as well as he could feel it. Which is, to say, not at all.

Wrong.

The bandages pulled almost painfully taut when he wrapped his fingers around them but he tugged on them anyways, gauze rough against both the skin of his palm and the skin of his throat. Eventually they gave, unraveling in small bouts until air kissed at his revealed flesh. He dropped them, allowed them to settle on his stomach and found the wound with his nails. It was small, a horizontal line under the crease of his jaw, still puckered with raw sensitivity. He could barely feel the ghost of his touch there.

_WRONG._

Gon plunged his fingers into the wound, twisting and pulling at the tissue because this was where that wrongness was originating from and he saw no other way to rid himself of it. He felt blood bloom under the touch, dripping down towards his chest, and a distant twinge of pain.

And then he opened his mouth. Not to speak, per say, more to make some sort of sound, any noise really but suddenly pain exploded down his throat all the way to his sternum, a fiery trail. It burned like acid, like skin being ripped away, hot and sharp and real, and the worse it got the more he tried to scream. The only thing that reached his ears was the strangled sound of air rushing past his lips and a furious beeping at his side.

He scrabbled at the cut again, split it open further, felt the pain decrease but only minimally.

_wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong Wrong WrongWrongWrongWrongWrongWrongWRONGWRONGWRONGWRO-_

"Gon!"

Killua's face swam into focus above him, the fluorescent lights that had been Gon's point of focus creating a golden halo around him. It only made the assassin look more pale, features fixed in an unhappy grimace.

"You idiot, what the hell do you think you're doing!?"

He grabbed at the Hunter's hands, held them in his own until Gon was no longer trying to scream, no longer trying to claw at himself. The beeping monitor calmed into a more steady rhythm and Gon fought to catch his breath, entire body shaking and gaze fixed firmly on Killua.

Another face swam into focus, this one blonde and petite. She looked concerned, her little pixie mouth pinched in worry.

"I'm going to give him another sedative," she said and her voice reached Gon from a long tunnel. "He shouldn't be awake this soon after such a major surgery."

Killua bristled, dropped the Hunter's hands so they rested on the bed once more. "He's already drugged out of his mind! Can't you see what he just did to himself, the last thing he needs is more of that shit running through his veins."

The blonde cast a nervous glance in Killua's direction, fear evident in her eyes, but shook her head. "He's disoriented. Since he's a hunter the doctor used a combination of anesthetics and sedatives to keep him under. What I'm going to give him is very light in comparison. It should only last a few hours, the rest of the day at most. It will give his body time to expel the remnants of the other drugs so that when he wakes he'll be able to orient himself."

There was sharp pinch in Gon's arm and he followed Killua's line of sight until he saw the hypodermic needle imbedded under his skin, watched as it pulled back, drew blood, and then pushed a clear liquid (now stained red, he thought, and it reminded him of the ocean) into his veins. He also saw the IV further down his arm at his wrist and wondered why the woman didn't just inject him there. Killua seemed to think the same thing as he let out an almost primal sounding growl and the woman scampered away without another word.

It took a lot more effort than Gon would have liked to turn back to his friend. Despite what happened last time, he prepared to speak, he had so many questions for Killua, about the island, about them, about everything but the assassin reached out, placed his fingertips on Gon's lips in a clear symbol to stay silent.

"We'll...we'll talk later, okay? Just get some sleep for now. You look like shit." Killua smiled, but it looked guilty. If it weren't for the black shadows creeping across his vision Gon would have asked after it, tried to figure out just what in the world the assassin had to be guilty about. Instead he allowed his eyes to fall closed and was asleep before he'd even completed the task.

...

Killua sighed and rubbed a weary hand down his face. It wasn't until he pulled it away that he realized it was still covered in Gon's blood. Grimacing, he crossed the small hospital room to its conjoined bathroom and went to wash it away, staring distractedly at the pink water that spiraled down the drain. When he returned, hair dripping slightly from where he'd splashed water over himself, he saw that one of the nurses had come in and re-bandaged the Hunter's throat.

Killua collapsed into what was quickly becoming his chair, pressed up against the wall but still close to the hospital bed. God, he'd only been here less than a day and he was already sick of it. Not to mention that he had a wonderful glimpse of the ocean outside the room's single window. He decided offhandedly that he fucking hated it. Whether he was talking about the ocean or the window was unclear even to himself.

It had taken three days to sail to the mainland. Both current and wind had brought the bedraggled boys to Airin and the beach of a large city. Killua had no idea just what country they were in specifically but he really didn't care. The first thing he'd done was drape Gon over his shoulders and book it to the nearest hospital.

He'd spent those three days on the boat constantly moving the Hunter out of direct sunlight and into the shade of the sails and then trying to keep himself from going crazy the rest of the time. It had basically been a giant waiting game, both of their lives on the line, and yet Killua had never really doubted that they'd make it. He told himself that he was being optimistic for Gon since the other teen wasn't conscious to do it himself.

The exhaustion didn't hit him until he stepped into the hospital emergency room and tried to fill out the paperwork for admitting Gon. Honestly the only information he'd given them was a name, and even then it had been a fake one. Gunther Whales. Similar enough that it wouldn't be weird if he called him Gon though not exactly creative. Whatever. Killua was fucking exhausted. Once he knew his friend was safe (aka they were taking him into surgery and Killua wasn't allowed to follow so he would have had to sit in the waiting room) he left to get himself a shower and a fresh change of clothes. He was back in under an hour and in the waiting room anyways.

Gon had been situated in his own room for most of the day when Killua finally decided to step out and grab something to eat. Nothing much, just a candy bar that he stole from the vending machine down the hall, but when he returned it was to find the Hunter awake and knuckle deep in his own skin. He also appeared to be trying to scream but well...god he couldn't even think about that right now.

Killua cracked his neck and then let his head rest back against the wall. It took Gon out of his line of vision but he could hear the steady beeping on the heart monitor and the other various machines and that was enough to soothe him for the moment. Maybe if he just closed his eyes he could take a nap...he'd tried probably a million times now but sleep just hadn't come to him. After watching Gon try to mutilate himself he didn't think his chances were looking any better but apparently the sudden rush of adrenaline had taken something out of him. Not even a full minute after he'd closed his eyes he'd drifted off.


	2. Sun Chasing Moon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello readers! I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and if you don't celebrate then I hope you've had a nice week. =3
> 
> I do celebrate, so that's my excuse for such a late chapter. But hey! It's pretty long so there's that.

A bone crushing weariness was tugging at Killua's body, he'd been awake for days on end now but his subconscious would not let him rest no matter how hard he tried. As soon as he slipped into the sweet hold of sleep he was thrown immediately into a nightmare of cold staring eyes, their pupils dark and colorless and hard with intent. The sound of Gon's heart monitor was a steady baseline, a drumbeat in the echo of his mind and it would never take but a few minutes for Killua to jerk himself awake again, scared and weary but resigned. Sometimes when he did it there was a nurse in the room. He could tell even by the half light of the hospital that they were afraid of him. They never lingered after taking his friend's vitals, fleeing like small prey before a predator. It made the assassin sick to his stomach.

The worst thing though, was when Killua opened his eyes mid dream and everything was in black and white. The effect leached all color, all life out of Gon's skin, made him look thin and pale and impossibly close to death. Both bandages and the thin hospital blanket bunched up around his body, odd and foreign and unwanted and the assassin wanted nothing more than to rip them away and hold the boy beneath them close.

The eyes lingered in the dark corners of the room.

Around four in the morning Killua threw his hands up in surrender (mentally) and stalked out of the dimly light room (not so mentally). A lingering fear made him pause at the doorway, look back at Gon in worry, but then he shook his head and went downstairs to the gift shop he'd passed by earlier. It was tiny and dark, closed at this ungodly hour when everyone should be asleep. The glass walls that contained it didn't even reach all the way to the high, tiled ceiling and Killua slipped inside without a sound, person nor camera catching him in the act.

Inside the shelves were taller than he was, piled high with stuffed animals, mugs, balloons and pretty much everything but the kitchen sink. He navigated them slowly, glancing over each item appraisingly before moving on again. When he found several small notepads he stuck a forest green one into his pocket without thinking and then followed it up with a book from the shelf opposite. It was brightly colored, pictures on every page and what he had initially been looking for. He was just turning to leave, coiling his muscles to jump up and over the glass wall again when something caught his attention from the corner of his eye.

Loosening his stance Killua glanced over at the display, small crystal figurines winking back at him. For whatever reason he was drawn to it, blue gaze roving over the angels and animals, down to the bottom shelf where the crystals were small cubes, designs etched into their centers. It was more of the same here; dolphins and horses and fuzzy kittens curled up in baskets until he reached the very end of the line.

The last piece was pushed back, away from his view and Killua fished it out, holding it up to the lights that shone through the glass walls to get a better look. Inside the crystal a burning sun and frosty moon chased each other through a field of stars. Though they were still their motion was obvious, a dizzying kind of spiral that would no doubt end in their collision; a fiery embrace that could either destroy or meld the two. The assassin turned it over in his hands, testing it's weight, before stuffing it in his pocket as well.

Gon was just as he left him when the assassin returned and Killua let out a sigh of relief, collapsing back into his uncomfortable chair and pulling the small book he'd stolen into his lap. The lighting wasn't ideal for reading but he managed, flipping between the pages while his hands and fingers made small movements without him noticing. He spent hours there, learning and reading and memorizing because he knew this was going to be important for when Gon woke up. His lips formed the words, his mind the concepts and in the time it took the sun to rise he'd read the book a total of five times, all one hundred pages front and back.

The sunlight filtering in through the window was watery and weak, the sky outside overcast with somber clouds, all grey and heavy with rain. It was a nice reprieve from the harsh sunlight they had endured both on the island and on the makeshift boat. The entire experience seemed almost fairytale-esque now, like a wild dream but both his and Gon's presence here, in this room, proved otherwise. Killua reached up and traced the incision on the back of his neck, scabbed over now but sure to scar. The wound on his head was nothing more than a faint pink line, hidden by the shag of his hair. Unlike the other one it would fade.

He fell asleep still tracing it.

.....................

The lights above Gon's bed were quickly becoming familiar to him. He stared up at them and pursed his lips trying to figure out exactly why that was but couldn't seem to recall. When he realized they held no answers he turned his head to the side, pain ricocheting down his throat and then back into his skull. A small window met his gaze, the ocean and sky coming together far away in a blurry semblance of the horizon. They were both shades of grey, unwelcoming despite the fact that the sun was shining. There wasn't much else visible besides the tops of a few scattered buildings.

Beside the bed he lay in sat a monitor, perched on a single support and beeping at regular intervals. He followed one of the pale wires attached to it to find a clamp on his index finger and a needle in his arm that led to a bag of fluids suspended next to the machine. Any confusion about where he was cleared up pretty quickly then.

Turning the other direction brought Killua swimming into view, hunched uncomfortably in a small plastic chair with his arms crossed, knees to his chest and head lolling gently as he slept. It sent something fluttering through Gon's chest and he smiled at the sight.

Rather than wake his friend the Hunter groped around until he found a small remote control and used it to prop the bed up until he was sitting. From there he examined himself, skimming his fingers over his bandages and skin to assess all the damage. He could feel stitches along the curves of his forearms and something large pressed into hold in his chest, but that wasn't anything surprising. What was surprising, however, was the gauze he found just under his jaw and the ache he felt when he prodded at it. Huh, didn't remember that one.

When Gon glanced back over again the assassin was awake and staring at him. There was a wariness to his expression as Killua watched him, still curled in on himself. Slowly, as if trying not to startle a scared animal, he unfolded himself and leaned his elbows forward onto his knees.

"Hey."

The Hunter opened his mouth, lips curling into a smile but Killua held up a hand before he could make a sound. His jaw snapped closed with a loud click when he saw the pained expression on his friend's face.

"Just...don't say anything. Let me speak first," Killua sighed, running a hand through his hair and dropping his gaze to the floor.

Gon waited, patient and willing, but something was curling uncomfortably through his gut. It tickled the back of his mind, teasing, a kind of nervous twitch that bloomed the longer his friend held his tongue. Killua was tapping his hand against his knee, a small book in his grasp and eventually he took a deep, shuddering breath and threw the book carelessly onto the bed.

American Sign Language for Beginners

Picking it up, Gon glanced down at the cover, of the pictures of hands and fingers on the pages and then back at the assassin.

Killua was still looking away but then he glanced up, caught the Hunter's gaze and held onto it like a lifeline as he took another shuddering breath. He opened his mouth, paused, licked his lips, and then, "Gon, you're mute. Illumi severed your vocal chords back on that island and the doctors couldn't do anything about it." It wasn't rushed but it wasn't said slowly either, just a kind of painful monotone that left Gon gaping slightly.

When the Hunter just simply sat and stared, brown eyes wide, Killua went on. "I figured that you know...you'll need a way to communicate and all that," he murmured, one hand rubbing absently at the back of his neck and the other gesturing haplessly at the book still held in Gon's hands. Then he was scrabbling at his pockets, still speaking in a kind of rush, "but I got you something you can use until you learn," and he produced a small, green notepad, waving it in the air before remembering himself and setting it on the bed. He was silent then, watching and waiting.

Gon...Gon wasn't sure what to think. On the one hand he kind of wanted to laugh because what? No, he couldn't be mute that just...that was ridiculous. He was a blabber mouth, everyone said so, he could talk someone's ear off in a heartbeat and if he couldn't then...well...he didn't know what.

On the other hand his throat was still burning and beneath that he could feel an odd sense of...wrongness. There really wasn't any other way to word it, just that something that had been whole before was now in pieces.

Wary, the Hunter parted his lips and tried to make a sound. It came out as a huff of air and he was rewarded with a sudden, blinding pain like he'd been stabbed straight through his Adam's apple. He tried to hum next, knowing exactly what the vibration felt like in his throat but pain was all that greeted him, sharp and hot. Desperate, he mouthed words, tried to force them from his body even as his face contorted with the pain, and when that didn't work he closed his eyes and screamed at the top of his lungs. He was met with silence.

There were tears in his eyes when Gon opened them again, from the searing in his throat more than anything, and he slumped back against his pillows with a shallow breath. Killua had moved at some point and was standing next to him now, hands poised like he wanted to touch but was unsure of himself.

"Hey," the assassin murmured, wiping the stray tears from where they clung to Gon's cheeks after a moment. "Don't do that to yourself. I know it's...well I don't know, but it's pretty hard for me to believe too. Just...don't hurt yourself like that okay?"

The Hunter nodded, still shocked into...well he couldn't say silence now could he, but maybe inaction, before remembering something and reaching for the bandages on his throat. Killua beat him to it, unwrapping the gauze with quick, deft movements. When they were gone he moved to set them on the bedside table but was back again, perched on the edge of the mattress. Gon was grateful for the closeness as he reached up to feel the wound that had taken his words, his speech, away from him. It was still fresh, the edges puckered and rough against his fingertips.

With a small mental shrug the Hunter picked up the notepad still laying by his leg and pulled out the pen that was stuck in its spiral. He wrote quickly before flipping it around for Killua to read.

you look like crap

Killua was frozen for a moment, concern still on his face before it twisted comically in something halfway between rage and disbelief. "You're kidding me right now, you're seriously kidding me. I tell you you're mute, you start crying and then you tell me that I look like shit!? What the hell?"

Gon frowned before scribbling something else down.

i wasnt crying it just really hurt

Making a scoffing noise in the back of his throat Killua rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Whatever. You're so weird you know that? Most people would be like...I don't know. Upset or some shit." Honestly he didn't know, but he was ninety nine point nine percent sure right now that nobody had Gon's kind of reaction.

why would I be upset? i mean it kind of sucks yeah but ill get used to it. you seem more upset than me. are you okay?

"Of course I'm fucking okay," the assassin grumbled, averting his gaze before a yawn racked through him. Gon pushed his next note up under his nose and when Killua glanced over at him he was sure to look stern and disapproving.

have you slept at all? besides when i saw you earlier?

Killua looked like he was considering lying but then shrugged like it wasn't worth it. "Not really," he finally conceded. "I tried but couldn't."

This time Gon didn't go to write but set his pad onto the bedside table before scooting over to make room next to him on the mattress. He gave it an inviting pat, smiling encouragingly and Killua's first reaction was a small sneer. When the assassin didn't move Gon rolled his eyes before grabbing his shoulders and pulling him down to lay on the bed. It resulted in a short struggle, Killua squawking loudly and yelling curses and Gon laughing without a sound. In the end the Hunter won and he smiled triumphantly, his friend's head pillowed in his lap while Killua glared with ever muscle in his body.

"I hate you," he grumbled, wriggling around slightly until he could pull something else from his pocket and set it on the bedside table. "I really fucking hate you." And then he promptly fell asleep.

Gon spent the next several hours memorizing the curling design, moon chasing sun, sun chasing moon, that he found imprinted on the heart of the crystal that Killua had abandoned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sigh. I can't figure out how make any of my text italic or bold.


	3. Finally the Truth Hits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs nervously* Ah...sorry about how long it took to get this chapter out guys. I kind of had to take a break from the story because I lost sight of the end and couldn't figure out where it was going anymore. But I've it all figured it out now, so thank you guys for you patience! Kisses and I hope you enjoy the chapter~

"You're going to have to learn it sometime!" Killua's voice seemed large in such a small room, though he swore he was only raising it a little.

Gon stared back at him stubbornly, chin raised and arms crossed. He'd lost most of the bandages by this point, and the stitches had been removed, but the hole in chest was slow to heal and the doctors seemed loathe to let him leave. With his throat bared, the clean red mark just under his jaw was visible. It sent something uncomfortable rippling through his gut and Killua snarled, stepping back from where he'd moved closer to the bed in his anger.

"It's not an option Gon. What the hell are you going to do in a fight? In any hostile situation?"  _Hostile situation._ The words were Illumi's and sour in his mouth. "You can't just throw paper at them and hope they'll read it!"

At that the Hunter sniffed, tearing out a sheet from his notebook and snapping it in Killua's direction with brutal efficiency. It would have imbedded itself in his skin if the assassin hadn't caught it.

_and what if my enemy doesn't know sign language? what then mr. know-it-all? besides why would i want to talk to someone i'm fighting?_

Killua snarled again, his upper lip curling to reveal teeth. "That's not that fucking point, Gon. The point is that you're going to need a way to communicate that doesn't depend on having a pen and pencil close at hand!"

In a remarkable show of childishness Gon stuck out his tongue and then promptly kicked the small sign language book Killua had given him off the bed. Oh that was the last straw. Opening his mouth, the assassin was ready to give Gon the verbal lashing of a lifetime, but a quiet cough from behind him made him snap it closed again. Anger still on his face, he whirled to glare at the small, mousy nurse who stood in the doorway. She held a clipboard in both hands like it might shield her from his wrath and the sight made Killua deflate slightly.

"Umm…. Mr. Whales is scheduled for a group therapy session in twenty minutes?"

Mr. Whales? Who the fuck was that? Oh, that must be the name he'd signed Gon in under. How tired had he been, sheesh. Now what was that about a therapy session?

"Therapy?" he echoed, raising an eyebrow at the nurse. She squeaked and hunched her shoulders like he had raised his hand to hit her. "I m-m-mean the d-doctor made a note th-that he should at-t-tend!"

Killua tried to hold down his annoyance (honest to god, he wasn't that frightening was he?) and turned to give Gon the same eyebrow raise he'd given the woman. Gon, his face open and curious, just pursed his lips and shrugged his shoulders. A lot of good he was then.

When he turned back to the nurse, she was gnawing on her lower lip worriedly. He considered simply telling her to bug off but then thought better of it. These past few days the Hunter had been…well, energetic to say the least. Hence Killua's irritability. Gon had been practically bouncing off the walls, ignoring various nurses' pleas to 'just sit still will you, you'll open all those wounds, no get down from there, how did you even oh my god just sit down'. They'd eventually all given up, but Killua wasn't so lucky. He was determined to stay by the Hunter's side through his recovery but this was more like pet sitting an excitable pup than anything medical or injury related.

A chance to get Gon out of his room though? Even if it was to some weird feelings jam or whatever? That was a gift he'd do better not to turn down.

Trying to flash a smile and only making the nurse wince, Killua said, "He'd love to go. Where is it?"

The woman watched him suspiciously, as if she doubted his ability to speak for Gon's sake. Considering the incredulous look the Hunter was giving him behind his back (he could see it in the reflection of her glasses), she probably had good reason. "Well," she said after a moment, "t-that's why I'm here. I'll, um, take him to it. I'm afraid you'll h-have to stay here though. P-patients only."

Killua shrugged then turned again to Gon, smirking. "Look, this one actually wants you to get out of bed," he whisper controversially, jabbing a thumb in the nurse's direction.

The Hunter gave him another incredulous look before slipping off the bed, his bare feet making no noise on the tile floors. He was still attached to an IV (amazingly, he'd already ripped out five just on accident alone) but with one glance at his wrist he seemed to deem it unnecessary and pulled the needle from his arm. Tossing it carelessly over his shoulder, he moved to follow the nurse from the room. She looked alarmed and like she wanted to say something but apparently thought better of it as she just turned and clipped off down the hall, Gon on her heels.

Seeing an opportunity, Killua immediately took up residence in the Hunter's bed, crossing his arms behind his head and sighing contentedly. When Gon glanced back at him he smirked and gave him a wink, but in all honesty it was a little difficult to watch him walk away. Even if they were in a hospital, even if it had thus far proven safe, Killua couldn't help the tightening in his belly. After all he'd done for his friend, after the endless hours sitting on that raft and checking and rechecking his wounds, hand feeding him and ensuring he had enough to drink even if Gon wasn't conscious…it was hard to just stop that. Maybe when Gon was in fighting condition again, it would be different. For now though, he closed his eyes and tried to push the worry down.

_____________

Gon was…well confused. These past few days had been unbearably slow, sat watching tv and trying to stretch his muscles without giving anyone a heart attack. Honestly the only one who didn't treat him like shattered glass was Killua! And even he would eventually huff and tell him to give it a rest. Not to mention that whole sign language mess….

It wasn't really that the Hunter didn't want to learn or anything, it just seemed pointless to him. I mean, it was a whole new language! One that hardly anybody spoke! (er…signed) Anyways, he wasn't the studying type. Killua may be able to sit down and read that entire book in one go, but Gon got lost after the first few pages. And he wasn't dumb, the material just required a lot of memorization. He may have time on his hands but he certainly didn't want to spend it trying to learn  _exactly_ how to bend his fingers.

But back to what he was saying, oh yes, confusion. Here he was, following a nurse through unfamiliar, sterile hallways on his way to a therapy session. Therapy! Why did he need therapy, the thought just seemed absurd. Still, he had pen and pad in one hand so that he could participate or what have you. As they moved though, he couldn't help but to look around the hospital, observing.

A ledge here, to jump from, a clear space there to land and turn, there a good place to pause, regroup, a doorway there he could use to his advantage, and a table against the wall he could throw if nothing else worked…not enough space really to jump about as he normally did, but if he timed it right he could use the ceiling too, and the walls would be easy to punch through…

Oh lord, he really was getting stir crazy wasn't he? Couldn't even focus his own thoughts.

The nurse glanced back over her shoulder, smiling, though it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Just through here," she told him, and at least she'd stopped stuttering. Must have been Killua.

She gestured through a doorway but didn't move to go in herself so Gon had to step past her. It wasn't a patient room, from the looks of it, and he was a bit grateful for that. There were large windows on the far wall that looked out on a city but the ocean was absent, and the floor had odd multicolored carpet that scratched against his feet. A circle of chairs took up the majority of the space, all but one empty, and their occupants didn't bother turning to see him, attention fixed on the man speaking. Gon assumed he was a doctor of some sort judging by the white coat he wore, but more interestingly, as he spoke he moved his hands in the obvious form of sign language.

Killua had looked surprised when the nurse had called on Gon, so this couldn't be his doing. The Hunter frowned as he took the empty seat anyways. Hopefully they didn't expect him to speak like that as well, he could barely say (…sign?) his ABC's.

"...to help you adjust to your new disabilities," the man was saying. "and come to terms with the way you're going to be living from now on."

Did everyone else here lose their voice too? Gon did a cursory glance across the room; five people in total, not including himself. Three boys, two girls, and none of them bore a scar along their necks like he did. Maybe they'd lost it some other way.

"To start, we're going to go around the room, introduce ourselves, and let everyone know why we're here," the doctor continued. He did not have Leorio's charm, nor his ease with people but his smile was genuine. "I'll go first. My name is Dr. Smith, but you guys can call me Rillik. I've wanted to help people ever since I broke my arm when I was eight and I've been a doctor now for ten years." The movement of his hands was smooth and practiced but virtually meaningless to Gon.

The girl to Rilik's left spoke next, in quiet hushed tones. Though she said she'd been in an accident her voice was fine and it was only after a moment of staring that the Hunter realized she was blind, her eyes pale and motionless. Beside her, the doctor was silent but his fingers kept their perpetual rhythm, pausing where she paused and following the pace of her words.

The next three people did not speak at all except for the slow movements of their hands, clumsy where the doctor was graceful, and Rilik translated out loud. None of them were mute like Gon, though. Mika was blind; Riche, Yuno, and Isli were deaf; the final boy, more of a man really, said absolutely nothing until Rilik passed over him.

Gon wrote his introduction down before passing it over to the doctor. Rilik didn't seem pleased, frowning slightly, but he read and signed it to the group at large.

Unlike what Gon would have believed considering over half the room couldn't speak out loud, the session was smooth and easy (and even a bit interesting too). The Hunter didn't really get to speak (…write) much though, because it was only when a question was aimed directly at him that he had the time to write a response.

It was a bit frustrating, actually and for the first time Gon felt the loss of his voice. He'd always been loud, (attention demanding, someone had once said) and the difference was stark now that he wasn't. It was something he'd been prepared to deal with but now that he had an idea of how hard it was going to be to communicate the loss stung sharply like a fresh wound.


End file.
